This invention relates to an improved construction of hydraulic presses employed for straightening or cambering metallic workpieces such as metal plates, structural shapes and the like. More particularly, it relates to improvements in presses of the type wherein the press ram is mounted within a fixed frame for solely lateral positioning movement relative to a workpiece being fed longitudinally into the press.
It has been found that such presses present certain maintenance and operational problems which have not been remedied heretofore. Specifically, it has been a continuing problem with regard to fixed frame presses to remove the press ram and/or the hydraulic ram operating mechanisms for purposes of maintenance or replacement in prior art presses of this type. The removal and replacement procedures have been cumbersome and time-consuming requiring dismantling of the press frame including for example, the supporting columns, beams and the like. Additionally, after replacement of the components in the assembly, additional time and effort was required to realign and readjust the press.
With regard to the operation of fixed frame presses of the present type, it has been discovered that the installed press ram often interfered with the loading and unloading of excessively long or extremely warped workpieces. This operational problem resulted from the fact that in prior fixed frame type presses, the ram was restrained within the confines of the support columns and its placement therein often interfered with the loading and unloading of such workpieces. Thus, it was a continuing and unresolved problem to facilitate the loading and unloading of such long or badly warped workpieces. Additionally, in operation of presses having restricted ram movement space, when a wide workpiece was encountered, it has been a continuing problem to enable application of ram pressure to the outer lateral edges of the workpiece since the ram did not have sufficient mobility to accommodate such action.